A/N: Hey hey everyone :) I got a few requests for a sequel to The Gossip Games, so here it is! This fic will be a little shorter and I might not be able to update as quickly because I have uni now, but I'll do my best to update as quickly as possible. This is just a happy chapter to set up the story before the real action begins, and I really hope you like it! Please let me know what you think :)
Finnick's POV
So far, the summer had been hell. It was pathetic, I knew that, but not being able to see Annie for almost the whole summer had been driving me mad. I couldn't think straight half the time, and all I could do was spend all day in bed. Mags attempted to get me to leave my room, even letting me win a few games of Scrabble just because she felt bad for me, but it only distracted me for a little while. Katniss and Peeta had done their best to spend time with me too, but seeing them together only made me more depressed that Annie was so far away.
Finally the last week of the summer had arrived, but it seemed like my parents were taking even longer than usual to pack their luggage into the cab waiting outside of our apartment. They were heading off on a week long cruise, and even though they went away every summer, they still felt the need to give me a lecture about behaving well.
"Don't get into any trouble, young man. You hear me?" My father said seriously. "You're going into senior year, and I don't want anything ruining your chances of being accepted into Brown."
Ugh. I did all I could not to roll my eyes as my father once again mentioned Brown. It was as though he thought that if he spoke about it enough, I would eventually want to study there, but honestly I couldn't see myself there at all. However, I was way too distracted by the thought of seeing Annie again that I didn't bother arguing with him, and smiled as pleasantly as I could as my mother took over the lecturing.
"Okay, okay!" I laughed, stopping her midway through her reminder to eat something other than pizza everyday. "I'll be fine. Go- you'll be late." I said, hurrying my mother into the cab. I closed the door as she tried to speak again, and finally I was waving goodbye as the cab pulled away from the curb. As soon as the cab disappeared into the traffic, I was in the car on my way to our house in the Hamptons.
It was kind of a summer tradition for Peeta and I to spend the last week of summer away in the Hamptons, however, this year our whole group was joining us. I did manage to make sure they would arrive the day after Annie did, so we could at least have some time to ourselves. So, once I arrived I was literally counting down the seconds until the time Annie told me she would be there. When she was five minutes late, I started to pace up and down the hallway in anticipation.
When the doorbell rang I could not get to the door fast enough. I threw it open and there she stood on the doorstep. Annie Cresta. My Annie Cresta. I knew it was totally clichéd, but my memory really didn't do justice to how beautiful she was. Her hair was a little longer, but just as tangled, her skin darkened from the sun, and her eyes…oh my God her eyes, so green and locked with mine. Well, they were, until they began to drift towards my lips.
"Finnick!" she exclaimed, sounding both relieved and desperate.
Before I could reply, she leaped at me and pressed her lips to mine with so much force I stumbled backwards. Instantly my arms were around her, pulling her close until I felt whole again. Laughing, we lost our balance and only the wall stopped us from falling as we slammed against it, neither of us ready to part again. We were finally together again, completely indivisible.
"Hey." Annie said breathlessly.
"Hey." I replied, just as short of breath.
Our eyes searched each others for a moment, as if we were both not sure if this was really happening. Soon it was too much to be apart and my lips found her's once again. Without even realising it, we started to move, still kissing down the hall.
"Where's your room?" Annie whispered in between kisses.
Biting down on my lip, I picked her up and she laughed, wrapping her legs around my waist and throwing her arms around my neck. "Finnick!" she giggled, as I spun her around and carried her into my bedroom.
We collapsed on the bed laughing, before reaching for each other again. I couldn't get enough of her, we were both in a frenzy, and I almost felt like I was going mad with how much I had missed her. I was so overwhelmed by her touch, her soft breaths, her gentle smile... She smelled like the sun, and the earth, but mostly she smelled like love. So much love.
In moments Annie was pulling off her shirt and reaching for mine, and I just had to laugh at how forward she was. It seemed as though she was feeling exactly the same way I was, and neither of us could keep our hands off each other. I let her pull off my shirt and I watched with amusement as her eyes travelled up and down my chest. She laced her fingers with mine and kissed me again, rushed and breathless, and I almost couldn't keep up with her pace.
"Sooooo…" I teased, breaking away. "How have you been?"
"Very funny." Annie rolled her eyes, dipping her head close to mine again.
"Camp was good then?" I persisted, trying not to smile.
It was clear that Annie had no intentions of slowing down any time soon, and I had no desire to stop her either. It had been too long, way too long, since she had been in my arms, and I honestly couldn't get enough of her. So, as she kissed me once more I decided that we could most definitely save our catching up for later.
With Annie in my arms, I felt like I could breath again. I had spent the whole summer not only missing her, but also worrying about her. It had been torturing me not to know whether she had had another nightmare or a flashback, with no one there who understood. However, now we were together again, I could tell that she was happy. She was smiling, really smiling, and I honestly felt like my whole world was there in her smile.
"You're smiling a lot." I observed, brushing a strand of her hair out of her face.
"I'm happy to be here." she said simply.
"Missed me then?" I joked, tangling her hair around my fingers.
"Oh just a bit." she laughed, kissing me softly. "Did you miss me?"
"I've been in agony." I replied.
"Aww." Annie laughed, "I'll kiss you better."
"Mhhmm." I said softly as she kissed me again. "I could get used to this."
"Do you think you could convince the group not to turn up tomorrow?" she laughed.
"I wish." I groaned. "I think Johanna would kill me though."
"Well, we can't have that." Annie tapped my nose. "But we still have a few more hours until they arrive, right?"
"Sixteen, to be exact."
Annie pulled me close, smiling again before pressing her lips to mine. However, she as starting trailing kisses down my chest I suddenly heard the doorbell ring.
"Was that the…?" Annie asked, sitting up a little.
"Just ignore it." I said distractedly, "Probably just some nosy neighbour."
Annie laughed, picking up where she left off. However, when the doorbell rang a second time, I couldn't really ignore it.
I groaned. "I'll go tell them to go away."
Sighing, I got up and pulled on my clothes lazily, heading out of my room and leaving Annie in my bed. Ugh, just the thought of that was killing me. Who ever was at the door, I was definitely not impressed with them.
However, I didn't have to get all the way down the hall before I heard Johanna's voice from behind the door, arguing with Peeta. Immediately my stomach dropped. What were they doing there? Confused, I opened the door to see Johanna, Katniss, Peeta, Delly, Madge and Gale all standing at the doorstep.
"About time, Odair." Johanna rolled her eyes. "I was beginning to think you'd died in there."
"What are you doing here?" I asked with annoyance.
"Umm, you invited us." Johanna reminded me.
"No!" I wailed dismally. "I said to come on Saturday not Friday!" I replied, exasperated.
"I'm pretty sure you said Friday." Johanna contented. "Peeta, back me up will you?"
Peeta shuffled forward, clearly uncomfortable. "I kind of think you said Friday, Finnick."
I groaned, running my hands through my hair. Thinking back, maybe I did give them the wrong day. Sighing, I supposed I had no choice but to step back and let them inside. Katniss gave me a look as if to say 'sorry' before walking passed while Johanna was less than apologetic. The six of them dumped their bags in the living room before collapsing on the couch, as if travelling there had been such an effort.
I was annoyed of course, that I was no longer alone with Annie, but mostly I was annoyed with myself for messing up the date. However, before I could go and break the news to Annie, I heard her walking down the hall.
"Hey Finnick, did you get rid of them yet?" Annie called to me. Before I could stop her, she appeared in the living room, wearing nothing but a sheet wrapped around her. "Oh." she gasped, stopping in her tracks when she saw everyone in the living room.
Immediately Johanna burst out laughing. "Hey, Annie!" she exclaimed. "Nice to see you."
"Oh my god." Annie turned bright red. "I'm going to go…get changed."
"No please, stay like that." I laughed, crossing to her. I put my arms around her and she reluctantly stayed there. "We have visitors, by the way."
"Oh, well thanks for letting me know." Annie replied in mock annoyance.
"Forgive me?' I asked, dipping down to kiss her.
"Ughhh." Johanna groaned. "Don't tell me we've turned up right in the middle of your reunion."
"I'm afraid you did, Johanna." I laughed, kissing Annie again.
"Remind me to sleep in the room further away from yours then." Johanna groaned.
"Hey, you're sleeping on the couch." I laughed.
Johanna rolled her eyes as Annie slipped out of my arms. I sat down in the living room with the rest of the group, waiting for Annie to return. She did quickly, now fully dressed, and sat down softly on my lap.
"Sorry about this." I whispered to her. "I may possibly have told them the wrong day to turn up."
"Oh, just possibly?" Annie laughed. "It's alright. At least I had you to myself for a little while."
"Not long enough though." I leant into kiss her.
I was suddenly aware that no one else in the group was speaking, and were instead listening into what Annie and I were saying, amused looks on their faces. I coughed to break the silence. "Maybe we should try and be a little social then." I laughed.
"So, how were your summers?" Annie asked sweetly, taking my advice. "Tell us about your cruise, Delly!"
"It was alright." Delly shrugged.
"Alright?" Madge asked, "I think it was more than alright. Tell them!"
"Come on, Delly!" Peeta continued.
Delly blushed almost as red as Annie had done. "There may have been a guy."
As Delly described her summer romance, I had to admit that I got a little distracted playing with Annie's hair. She was resting her head on my chest, writing what I was sure was 'I love you' over and over on my thigh with her finger. Being with her again was like I was in a dream, but it was only Johanna's unpleasant comments that brought me back to reality.
"So, uh Finnick." Johanna interrupted my thoughts. "When's this party getting started?"
"Well you've already crashed the place, so what's next?" I joked.
"You said your parents have a bar, right?"
"Johanna, Finnick's parents have the bar of all bars. You need to see it." Peeta laughed.
"Right, well lead the way, Mellark."
"Great!" I said, "I'll get the Twister out."
"No way!" Katniss joked, "That is not happening again."
"I don't know." Madge joked cheekily, looking up at Gale. "I don't think Twister sounds that bad."
On a scale of public displays of affection, ranging from Annie and I all the way down to Peeta and Katniss, Gale and Madge were somewhere in the middle. Madge still blushed every time they kissed, and while Gale may have looked tough, his eyes were soft when he smiled at her.
My observations of Madge and Gale were interrupted when Johanna and Peeta came back into the living room with literally every bottle they could hold. They dumped them onto the coffee table looking triumphant.
"So, how was your summer in France?" I asked Johanna as she sat back down.
"Put it this way." Johanna replied, picking up a bottle of Vodka. "I'm going to need this whole bottle just to forget it."
Okay, so my sixteen hours with Annie all to myself had been cut terribly short, but maybe the night wouldn't be so bad after all.
I woke up in the early morning to Annie crying hysterically. I had no idea what time we ended up asleep in my room again, but it must have been way passed midnight, and I was suffering from sleep deprivation and a pretty bad hangover. It took a moment for me to wake up properly to work out what was happening, but as soon as I saw Annie sitting upright in bed, sobbing into her palms, adrenaline rushed through my body, waking me up.
"Annie, Annie!" I called to her, "It's okay." My words didn't get through to her, so I wrapped my arms around her to hold her as she struggled for breath.
I brushed her hair away from her ear and whispered over and over that she was safe, that it was just a nightmare, that I was with her and that she was okay. Slowly, slowly I felt her start to relax and come back to me, and after ten minutes she looked up at me, damp hair stuck to her cheeks and her eyes red and puffy.
"Finnick…" she said, sounding broken. "I'm sorry."
"Hey." I said softly, "It's okay."
"I'd been doing so well." she sniffed. "I hadn't had a nightmare all summer."
"Maybe it's me then." I tried to joke, but suddenly I was afraid that it was true.
"Don't be ridiculous." Annie laughed, wiping away her tears. "You're the only one who can bring me back."
"Well then I'm not going any where." I said, kissing her forehead.
"You promise?" she asked.
"I promise." I kissed her forehead, "Do you want to go back to sleep?"
"Do you think you could stay awake with me for a little while?" Annie asked.
"Of course. How about you tell me all about the summer camp?"
We lay back in bed and Annie told me all about her work at the summer camp, from a prank involving a dozen frogs to the terrible spaghetti they were given for dinner. Eventually, Annie's words slowed as her eyelids became heavy again, and we both drifted back off to sleep. However, it felt like I had only been asleep for a minute when I was woken again in the late morning to the sun escaping through the blinds drawn across the window. I could hear sounds of life from somewhere in the house, and the smell of bacon frying drifted into the bedroom.
"How about I go check it out?" I said to Annie, who was also awake. "Maybe the host of this party can get breakfast in bed."
I kissed Annie again before wandering out to find Peeta busy in the kitchen, with Katniss leaning against the bench watching him.
"Yum, that smells amazing!" I exclaimed. "Can I get some room service?"
"Umm Finnick, maybe some pants?" Katniss said.
I suddenly realised I was standing in the middle of the kitchen wearing nothing but underwear. "What, do you find this distracting?" I joked, striking a provocative pose.
Katniss rolled her eyes, "Put some clothes on and then you can have breakfast out here with the rest of us."
Sighing, I did what I was told, and soon Annie and I joined Katniss, Peeta and Delly at the breakfast table.
"Where's Johanna?" Delly asked, looking around.
"Asleep." Katniss replied. "Don't try and wake her- seriously."
"What about Madge and Gale?" Annie continued.
"Haven't seen them, now that you mention it." Peeta answered, taking a bite of his toast.
I shrugged, "More bacon for me then."
Leaving Johanna where she had fallen asleep on one of the couches, the rest of us decided to head down to the beach. As we walked down the path and onto the sand, we spotted Gale and Madge fast asleep together under the sun.
"Well, well, well." I laughed, walking over to them.
"Didn't expect to find you two here." Katniss laughed, kicking sand onto Gale's stomach.
Gale groaned as he woke, shielding his eyes from the sun as he and Madge sat up.
"What time is it?" Madge asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Just past twelve." Peeta answered.
Both of them groaned again as they started to wake up properly. We sat down next to them, feeling the sun beating down on us, still strong even though the summer was nearly over. The beach was my favourite place to be in the world, and I suddenly had a memory of my first date with Annie down by the ocean at Coney Island.
"Hey Annie." I said, turning to her suddenly. "Race you to the water."
"You're on." she said cheekily, taking off down the sand.
Annie was faster than I was and got to the water first, laughing and splashing me as I made my way to her. I took her in my arms and spun her around, her smile even warmer than the sun. I could have spent all day with Annie in the water, and even though the rest of the group were splashing each other nearby, it was almost as if we were the only two people in the entire world. An hour later, we saw a familiar face making her way slowly towards the water.
"Thanks for inviting me guys." Johanna called to us.
"Hey, we were under strict instructions not to wake you up!" I laughed.
"Yeah yeah, whatever Odair." Johanna laughed, turning away.
"Aww come on Johanna, get in the water!" Katniss called to her.
"No thank you, I'll stay on land." Johanna replied.
"Come on!" Annie laughed, splashing water on her.
"Oh this is war, Cresta." Johanna grinned, moving to chase Annie further into the water.
Soon Peeta, Delly, Madge and Gale were in on the war, and as I managed to dodge a splash of water from Peeta, Katniss caught my eye. She motioned for me to walk out a little further out into the water while the others where distracted, presumably to talk more privately.
"Is everything alright?" I asked, concerned.
"I heard Annie this morning." Katniss looked at me. "Is she okay?"
I nodded. "She has nightmares about the car accident." I explained.
"A lot?"
"Yeah." I sighed. "Usually it takes a while for her to calm down, but I do what I can to make sure she knows that she's safe."
"Is it hard?"
"Seeing her like that?" I looked back at Annie, laughing as she tried to escape Johanna. I hated that she ever had to feel pain at all. "Yeah. It kills me."
"I got you really wrong, Finnick." Katniss said suddenly. "You're actually a really great guy."
"Why thank you." I laughed, a little surprised. "You aren't too bad yourself. I might even miss seeing you everyday once we graduate."
"Aww, don't get all sentimental on me Finnick." she laughed.
It was true though. I couldn't imagine leaving high school and not seeing my group of friends in the courtyard everyday. It just all seemed so strange. "Looking forward to senior year then?"
"Yeah, I suppose." Katniss said, but I sensed there was something playing on her mind.
"Worried about whether Cashmere will be up to her old tricks?"
"I just don't want to spent the whole year looking over my shoulder." she explained.
"Hey, you'll have us to back you up." I reminded her.
"Oh yeah, you lot will be a great help." Katniss laughed, motioning to Johanna who had Peeta in a headlock.
"Hmmm, we better go in and save your boyfriend." I laughed.
Together we joined in the mini war that had erupted in the water, and teamed up with Annie and Peeta as we turned on Johanna. I was soaking in wet in a second though, when Annie suddenly jumped on my back, dragging us both down into the water.
"Hey, I thought we were on the same team!" I laughed, moving my dripping hair out of my eyes.
Annie shrugged. "Change of plans."
"Oh, it's on then missy!" I called, jumping up and chasing after Annie again as she shrieked with laughter.
Eventually we all got too tired, and called a truce for the time being. Exhausted, we collapsed onto the sand together. Annie lay next to me, shifting her position for a few minutes before finally getting comfortable with her head on my chest. None of us spoke, and I entertained myself by untangling the knots in Annie's sandy hair as she dozed off to sleep. It was absolute bliss, and I thought to myself that even the summer was nearly over, I couldn't have been happier.
I meant what I had said to Katniss, I really did. Even though Cashmere could cause trouble for Katniss at school, I was still worried about Annie and I couldn't put off thinking about my future for any longer, I had a feeling that senior year was going to be the best year yet.